Sustainable Energy

Climate change is an urgent global challenge demanding engineering solutions and large-scale, systems-oriented coordination. In Sustainable Energy, you’ll join thousands of global learners in examining conventional and renewable energy generation technologies, studying how they are deployed throughout the world, and evaluating their roles in the future energy landscape. Technologies include solar power, wind power, storage, nuclear power, hydropower, and bioenergy.

In addition to technological components, you’ll become familiar with the economic, political, and social dimensions of energy project planning. Professionals from diverse backgrounds must work together to determine pathways to decarbonization amidst scientific uncertainty and unique geopolitical challenges. You will be presented with advanced tools and strategies to explore pathways to decarbonization in specific contexts, and to build consensus among stakeholders.

The course is instructed by Michael Golay, Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Additional experts in various technologies will offer guest lectures, including:

Dr. Patrick Brown, National Renewable Energy Lab

Dr. Diane Rigos, MIT Energy Initiative

Dr. Alex Kalmikov, Lead Data Scientist, Aetna

Dr. Francis O' Sullivan, Orsted North America

Dr. Charles Forsberg, MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Dr. Donald Sadoway, MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Dennis Whyte, MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Dr. Zach Hartwig, MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Dr. Gregory Stephanopoulos, MIT Department of Chemical Engineering

Dr. Vrushank Phadnis, MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering

Course image is the cover to Sustainable Energy, Choosing Among Options, second edition, reprinted courtesy of The MIT Press.

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What you'll learn

• How to critically evaluate key features, opportunities, and challenges associated with modern energy technologies, and understand how these factors shape their contributions to global decarbonization
• Use systems-level tools and skills to analyze the technological, economic, and socio-political dimensions of real-word energy projects
• Build consensus among involved stakeholders to achieve sustainability goals